Will Richardson provided an outstand webex for ENA and notes from the experence are captured below. If you are interested in any of the tools mentioned there are many UTube and Common Craft how-to video available to teach you to use these resources.
RSS is defined as Real Simple Syndication
Think of it as similar to subscribing to a magazine or newspaper landing on your doorstep…once subscribed it downloads to your "reader" as it is published on the web and it is free. You have digital content coming directly to you as it is published.
Can subscribe to 160 million blogs…
Also many newspapers and magazines have RSS feeds.
They can come from blogs, newspapers, magazines, UTubes, flicker, etc…
Our very own blog: http://teachingwithtech.wordpress.com/ has an RSS tag on it and if you are interested you will be notified each time a new posting goes online.
As you subscribe, you begin to build your own daily newspaper that delivers very specialized information. Or in the case of education you are building your own textbook. This resource is written by many different people whom you feel have contributions worth reading and you are the editor.
A flow of information coming to you that is only on things about which you are interested.
You choose what info to read, share, edit…etc. 3 Steps to Get Started:
1)Find RSS feeds
2)Subscribe to RSS feeds
3)Read Feeds.
The ability to subscribe to all this content can lead to information overload. Worth working through.
The tool used to collect all RSS feeds is called an Aggregator. The example he used was GoogleReader
Near the top is the: Add a Subscription button - click it and paste in the url you wish to add to the reader.
This way you don't have to "go" to the new content...it comes to you!
GoogleReader
On left is list of subscriptions…on Google Reader you can use folders or individual list of sites.
The number beside each blog allows you to know how many new posts have been made. I choose to go read them or not.
As you read through, you can see the number of new posts for a blog go down.
You are technically reading from the “Reader” and not literally going to the blog website. However, you can choose to do that.
Organization can become problematic from the sheer volume you have streaming into your reader.
Use folders for organizing
Mark what you want to keep by going to the bottom and checking KEEP UNREAD
Add "stars" / Share / Edit Tags to help you keep your listings manageable (separate words with commas) Tagging – Old days was dewy decimal to organize thing on paper. Doesn’t work in a digital world. Moving away from taxonomies to folksonomies. New organization schemes based on keywords or tags. Future, change, schools, might be tags he lists, or journalism2 class if it is relevant for that. How to find these blogs and feeds.
Identify the subject.
Start with your passion, what do you really want to know more about.
Go to BlogSearch.Google.com
You can search the 160million blogs google is tracking.
*There is a difference here between this search and regular Googling. Ex. If I want info on mountain biking…I would google search. But, if I wanted to connect with PEOPLE who share my passion, I would blog search. Blogs are about people.
When you type in a search term, all tagged as that will show. If you go to advanced search…you can narrow things down. Limit to exact words or individual blogger you know
*Could even track a particular blogger…to only see when he mentions that particular word. Vetting Content:
Who is writing the site
Is there a way to interact?
Do they know their content
Take address of that page and click ADD SUBSCRIPTION in the Google Reader. To UNSUBSCRIBE if you change you mind - go to feed settings.
*It is possible to find sites that can not be read with an aggragator.
Can subscribe to a search, example – Every time the Words “Integrated Technology” or "21st Century Skills", or "Network Literacy" are listed on a blog it will update in the search. Works just like a feed. That is cool. Take the address of the search page and add it to your reader to get new results as they come in on your search. Everytime your phrase is used in a blog it will be linked.
Now the internet is working for you 24/7 finding the latest on your pertinent search string
Check out News.Google.com GoogleNew has more the 4500 newspapers
Or click on News from Google page.
Take URL and put in GoogleReader - can limit using Adv Search to single newspaper / region / etc.
One thing to consider is Sharing things you find. One way is social bookmarking.
Social Bookmarking
Delicious/username allows one to "track" the bookmarks of someone you are interested in following.
You can highlight the address of the delicious page of that person and then add it to your rss reader. Now when they update their social bookmarking then you get it too.
*Can click on one of his tags like Literacy, then copy that addressis added to your feed and only show his items that are tagged as such.and it will be
*Type in delicious.com/tags/21stcenturyskills and it will show people with that particular tag. You can use RSS to follow tags added to delicious. Awesome!
So, you can add any relevant person's delicious account tag to your GoogleReader and stay current on their finds or their finds for a particular search term
*Twitter can be RSS fed as well. (blocked at CMCSS but people OFTEN twitter about a good website or link to follow)
You can go to Twitter and do a search for 21st century skills (or anything)…it shows posts with LINKS! It shows that someone out there found it interesting and worth sharing.
You can do the same with Flicker and bring in pictures on topics you are interested in finding. Likewise with UTube or Teacher Tube.
Web goodness exists for sharing. If I find something that makes me smarter, I want you to find it so you can be smarter too. If you want step by step instructions for Google Reader, go to YouTube or CommonCraft and view the great videos that are ranked.
Will suggests :
To start out, get ten feeds and then stop.
Put a popup in your calendar that says don’t forget to read your reader .
This helps you get the hang of it. It is addictive because it is customizable.
PageFlakes
www.pageflakes.com
Everything here is built on an RSS feed. It allows you to collect these feeds and then publish it on the web.
One pageflakes, you can put on one page all youtube, flicker, newsearch, etc about a topic. Like a specific topic collage that is constantly being updated.
You canbuild portfolios for individual students. Place to collect everything they publish in one place.
Crazy cool! I am so overwhelmed with all of this. Transparent Research Page for Students**
(Topics.net – like google search but some different info)
Diigo
Social bookmarking site, not as popular with reg folks, but very popular with educators. Allows for really easy set up of classes. If you add to diigo, it will allow you to automatically post the same to delicious. Youtube has step-by-step for Diigo. Diigo lets you annotate pages as well. You can actually read articles that have been listed on Diigo and see sections that people have highlighted…click on the highlights and you will see comments or conversations that people have added about the highlighted section of articles.
Twitter
A blog done often with ony 140 characters available to use - so very brief daily notes
WillRich45 (twitter)
Table of Contents
RSS
RSS is defined as Real Simple SyndicationThink of it as similar to subscribing to a magazine or newspaper landing on your doorstep…once subscribed it downloads to your "reader" as it is published on the web and it is free. You have digital content coming directly to you as it is published.
Can subscribe to 160 million blogs…
Also many newspapers and magazines have RSS feeds.
They can come from blogs, newspapers, magazines, UTubes, flicker, etc…
Our very own blog: http://teachingwithtech.wordpress.com/ has an RSS tag on it and if you are interested you will be notified each time a new posting goes online.
As you subscribe, you begin to build your own daily newspaper that delivers very specialized information. Or in the case of education you are building your own textbook. This resource is written by many different people whom you feel have contributions worth reading and you are the editor.
A flow of information coming to you that is only on things about which you are interested.
You choose what info to read, share, edit…etc.
3 Steps to Get Started:
1)Find RSS feeds
2)Subscribe to RSS feeds
3)Read Feeds.
The ability to subscribe to all this content can lead to information overload. Worth working through.
The tool used to collect all RSS feeds is called an Aggregator. The example he used was GoogleReader
Near the top is the: Add a Subscription button - click it and paste in the url you wish to add to the reader.
This way you don't have to "go" to the new content...it comes to you!
GoogleReader
On left is list of subscriptions…on Google Reader you can use folders or individual list of sites.The number beside each blog allows you to know how many new posts have been made. I choose to go read them or not.
As you read through, you can see the number of new posts for a blog go down.
You are technically reading from the “Reader” and not literally going to the blog website. However, you can choose to do that.
Organization can become problematic from the sheer volume you have streaming into your reader.
Use folders for organizing
Mark what you want to keep by going to the bottom and checking KEEP UNREAD
Add "stars" / Share / Edit Tags to help you keep your listings manageable (separate words with commas)
Tagging – Old days was dewy decimal to organize thing on paper. Doesn’t work in a digital world. Moving away from taxonomies to folksonomies. New organization schemes based on keywords or tags. Future, change, schools, might be tags he lists, or journalism2 class if it is relevant for that.
How to find these blogs and feeds.
*There is a difference here between this search and regular Googling. Ex. If I want info on mountain biking…I would google search. But, if I wanted to connect with PEOPLE who share my passion, I would blog search. Blogs are about people.
When you type in a search term, all tagged as that will show. If you go to advanced search…you can narrow things down. Limit to exact words or individual blogger you know
*Could even track a particular blogger…to only see when he mentions that particular word.
Vetting Content:
Who is writing the site
Is there a way to interact?
Do they know their content
- Take address of that page and click ADD SUBSCRIPTION in the Google Reader. To UNSUBSCRIBE if you change you mind - go to feed settings.
*It is possible to find sites that can not be read with an aggragator.Can subscribe to a search, example – Every time the Words “Integrated Technology” or "21st Century Skills", or "Network Literacy" are listed on a blog it will update in the search. Works just like a feed. That is cool. Take the address of the search page and add it to your reader to get new results as they come in on your search. Everytime your phrase is used in a blog it will be linked.
Now the internet is working for you 24/7 finding the latest on your pertinent search string
Check out News.Google.com GoogleNew has more the 4500 newspapers
Or click on News from Google page.
Take URL and put in GoogleReader - can limit using Adv Search to single newspaper / region / etc.
Social Bookmarking
Delicious/username allows one to "track" the bookmarks of someone you are interested in following.- You can highlight the address of the delicious page of that person and then add it to your rss reader. Now when they update their social bookmarking then you get it too.
- *Can click on one of his tags like Literacy, then copy that address is added to your feed and only show his items that are tagged as such.and it will be
- *Type in delicious.com/tags/21stcenturyskills and it will show people with that particular tag. You can use RSS to follow tags added to delicious. Awesome!
So, you can add any relevant person's delicious account tag to your GoogleReader and stay current on their finds or their finds for a particular search term*Twitter can be RSS fed as well. (blocked at CMCSS but people OFTEN twitter about a good website or link to follow)
You can go to Twitter and do a search for 21st century skills (or anything)…it shows posts with LINKS! It shows that someone out there found it interesting and worth sharing.
You can do the same with Flicker and bring in pictures on topics you are interested in finding. Likewise with UTube or Teacher Tube.
Web goodness exists for sharing. If I find something that makes me smarter, I want you to find it so you can be smarter too.
If you want step by step instructions for Google Reader, go to YouTube or CommonCraft and view the great videos that are ranked.
Will suggests :
To start out, get ten feeds and then stop.
Put a popup in your calendar that says don’t forget to read your reader .
This helps you get the hang of it. It is addictive because it is customizable.
PageFlakes
www.pageflakes.comEverything here is built on an RSS feed. It allows you to collect these feeds and then publish it on the web.
One pageflakes, you can put on one page all youtube, flicker, newsearch, etc about a topic. Like a specific topic collage that is constantly being updated.
You can build portfolios for individual students. Place to collect everything they publish in one place.
Crazy cool! I am so overwhelmed with all of this.
Transparent Research Page for Students**
(Topics.net – like google search but some different info)
Diigo
Social bookmarking site, not as popular with reg folks, but very popular with educators. Allows for really easy set up of classes. If you add to diigo, it will allow you to automatically post the same to delicious. Youtube has step-by-step for Diigo. Diigo lets you annotate pages as well. You can actually read articles that have been listed on Diigo and see sections that people have highlighted…click on the highlights and you will see comments or conversations that people have added about the highlighted section of articles.Twitter
A blog done often with ony 140 characters available to use - so very brief daily notesWillRich45 (twitter)